


How Murdock got a Goat

by Floris_Oren



Series: Four old Men, and a goat [2]
Category: The A-Team (TV), The A-Team - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic, Face and Murdock own a farm, M/M, Mrs. Mantis hates Murdock's Apple Pie, No one knows why, Part of Four old men and a goat series, The Farm is in Malibu, Very domestic, building a fence, don't ask me why or how, the goat ruins Face Vegetable Patch, very
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-15 21:48:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2244567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Floris_Oren/pseuds/Floris_Oren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is how Murdock get's a pet Goat. Face makes a new friend. And other things happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The goat is a whim. I thought it'd be hilarious. I dunno how this will end. But basically this is just me writing the Team as old men. 
> 
> Disclaimer - I only own the original characters and the copy write.

Face never thought that, as a sixty-nine year old man, he’d settle down to the farm life; to be fair it wasn’t his idea. Nope. It was Murdock’s. For some reason he got it into his head that a farm would be fun. He hinted about it for months until Face surprised him with Howling Peck Farms and Orchards.

 

The old farm house certainly had seen better days when he bought it, but after nearly seven months of repairs and upgrades it was finished and they moved in the weekend after the work crew had cleared out.

 

Murdock loved the farm. He loved to go to the apple orchards and see if any were ripe enough to eat. He’d bring back baskets full to make apple pies. He would take several to the neighbors. They’d been wary of them at first. Two men owning a farm and not blood related had to be gossip.

 

Face, however, hadn’t heard hide nor hair of anything about them and so they puttered on as usual. They were pardoned now and while Murdock had to visit the VA twice a week for evaluations he was doing all right. The on-again off-again relationship he had with his Sanity seemed to settle down into something stable. He’d pull out his accents but Face hadn’t seen Billy in a couple years now and he took that as a sign that maybe the crazy was lessening due to age. Or something else very unscientific because he’d never excelled that way in school.

 

Either way they were happy.

 

Until one day…

 

He found a goat in the vegetable patch. Now, the vegetable patch was his. It was the one spot on the property where Murdock didn’t get a say, though he could suggest, and maybe Face did do all of the suggestions, but only because he thought everything up first anyway, not because one of Murdock’s idea’s were better than his or anything of that sort.

 

Either way, the goat was not welcome. Face growled and grabbed a ho that was leaning against the fence. He ran….as much as an old man of his age could…waving the ho around and yelling. The goat gave a bleat of surprise and bounded around the patch. Tearing up the dirt and ruining all of the hard work that went into it.

 

It took him about fifteen minutes to get the goat out, the gate shut and seething he started to put things back to order. He’d have to get more seeds and now whatever fresh veggies they would have had was down to at least twenty percent thanks to that horrid creature.

 

Later, Murdock found him, dirty, on his hands and knees, cursing a blue streak he hadn’t heard since ‘Nam and decided to give Faceman a hand. The two of them worked in the garden for the rest of the afternoon before Murdock decides that they both needed showers and that they’d go visit Hannibal for dinner. God knows how much the old man never got out now a days, and they always tried to get him out at least three times a week anyway.

 

Face followed Murdock into the house. He gave the yard the stink eye just to make sure that damned goat wasn’t around to tear up his vegetable garden while they were gone. Thankfully the animal was no where in sight and the bright orange of the setting sun filtered the light into fire that wasn’t really there.

 

*** * ***

 

They got home from their outing late. They’d gone to the boardwalk, ate fried foods and played some games. Murdock and Face – unable to put old habits to bed – did a perimeter check before bed. Face got the outside while Murdock locked up the house. He waited for Face to come back before he locked the door.

 

“Anything?” he asked.

 

“Just the goats tracks, there’s a break in our fence.” Face mumbled, still miffed about his garden.

 

“We’ll fix it in the morning.” Murdock promised. Face nodded. He wasn’t about to let that stupid goat anywhere near his vegetables, again, if he could help it.

 

* * *

 

To be fair…

 

The whole fence was a goner. The previous owners hadn’t seen to its upkeep and so instead of replacing just one part of it the entire thing had to be dug up and replaced. Murdock had to call B.A. (who was on call at the garage he worked at just to not be bored) to help them fix it. The man was strong as ever, wore a bit less gold but the bling shone at them from miles off. He drove a tow-truck now but the van was kept up neatly and sometimes he’d bring it out for special occasions.

 

In a trailer behind it are the pieces for a better fence. BA never did anything by halves. Murdock and Face waited for him in the front yard, they’d gotten a good portion of the fence pulled up all ready. Face double-checked the city map that told them where their property line was. They’d put the fence twelve inches away because he didn’t want to upset Mrs. Ruby Mantis.

 

She never did like Murdock’s apple pies.

 

“Why didn’t you guys just hire someone to do this?” B.A. asked. They’d started to unload the trailer and put the wood on a blue tarp with the wire on the dirt besides it.

 

“Because you know how Facey gets,” Murdock laughed, “he gets crazy and is a total control freak.”

 

“Like someone else we know,” B.A. muttered.

 

“Don’t forget to see Hannibal, okay?”

 

“Yeah, yeah…” B.A. nodded but Murdock could tell he was just teasing. B.A. still had his bad attitude and they wouldn’t want him any other way.

 

“Have you gotten into a brawl fight recently?” Murdock asked. B.A. growls and rolls his eyes. Face snorts in laughter and they continue to empty the trailer until the haul is stacked neatly in their front yard.

 

That’s when Face eyes’ a woman marching at them. She’s old Mrs. Mantis. He groans and face-palms.

 

“What is it, Faceman?” B.A. asked, turning about to spy any sort of trouble, he dismissed the old woman as a threat.

 

“Mrs. Mantis. They told us when we moved in that she might be trouble.” Face explained.

 

“Excuse ME!” she yelled at them from the street; “but what on earth do you think you are doing?” Mrs. Mantis is a short, plump woman with bright white hair and squinty water-blue eyes. She has wrinkles around her mouth and Face isn’t sure if she’s ever smiled at anyone.

 

“Redoing the fence.” Murdock replies innocently.

 

She harrumph’s at him angrily; “see to it you all don’t come onto my property, I know how to use a shot gun!”

 

“I bet she does, the old bat,” Face muttered. B.A. smacks him lightly on the arm; and yet face rubs the spot and frowns.

 

“We will, don’t worry,” Murdock is all smiles and charm but Mrs. Mantis isn’t having it. She gives them a glare one more time before turning and storming off for her old farmhouse. She can see them from her back porch and Face rolls his eyes.

 

“I can’t decide if she just hates us, or if she hates everyone.” Face muttered when Murdock joined them.

 

“I think she’s a bit lonely, you know how old people get.” He shrugged.

 

“Ya fool, ya are old!”

 

“And?” Murdock laughed and shook his head; “You’re only as old as you want to be B.A.” he informed. He bounded off, with B.A. and Face following. They needed to take up the rest of the fence before they could start on building a new one.

 

**TBC**

 

 


	2. When a bat falls off a roof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mrs. Ruby Mantis takes it upon herself to fix her own roof. The team get sentimental. Murdock spills the beans and Face is a nice guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup. This is weird.

BEEP – BEEP – BEEP – BEEP…

 

The annoying beeping just won’t go away and let her sleep. She bets it’s those annoying neighbors who didn’t bother to inform her that they were going to replace that ratty fence. A fence her poor Miles had put up ages ago, miscalculating the boundary lines and putting it in Mrs. Hinge’s property instead. Lois Hinge was away on vacation and never mentioned the fence. She probably never knew where the lines were and never complained about it. It wasn’t until later when the city came out did they discover that their fence was actually her fence.

 

And now those two….

 

…hooligans….she decided because what does one call two men who live together anyway…?

 

…Were taking it down.

 

BEEP – BEEP – BEEP – BEEP – BEEP – BEEP….

 

And why couldn’t someone turn that gosh darned beeping off?

 

Finally, she got pissed off enough to open her eyes to a white, tiled ceiling and a man humming in a chair besides her bed. He wore a worn bomber jacket and a ratty red baseball cap. He was getting on in years and he was one of the new neighbors.

 

“Oh no…” she groaned.

 

“Oh yes,” Murdock replied with a grand smile. “I didn’t know any one to call for you so I came to make sure you didn’t wake up without someone. I always hated it when that happened.” Murdock replied with a slight dimming of the eyes. But whatever memories bothered him swiftly left and his eyes went back to their cheery, brown, glow.

 

Murdock cocked his head at her; “How come you were on the roof any how?”

 

“What do you think?” she sniffed at him. “I was trying to fix it.”

 

“Oh, leaking?”

 

She gave him a glare that clearly said that was quite a stupid question to ask.

 

“We could have fixed it for you, Facey is the best at fixing things.” Murdock goes on. He sighed at even this thought of his….”friend”.

 

“Why would I want….that?” she crossed her arms and sniffs at him again.

 

“Well, it’s okay to ask for help, we used to help lots of people.” Murdock replied.

 

“What do you mean?” she didn’t mean to ask, she didn’t want to know but the question popped out and it’s in the Ether now.

 

“We’re the A-Team.” Murdock replies.

 

“What?” she glares at him, disbelievingly.

 

“Face hates it when I tell people, he thinks some of our old enemies will come after us. He’s old though, he creeks in odd places and sometimes if it’s rainy he sighs all day and then wonders at why I make him sit to do puzzles with me instead of the hard work.” He shrugs.

 

“Why are you telling me all this?” she frowns.

 

“Because I think you need a friend and I like making friends,” Murdock beams at her.

 

Mrs. Mantis rolls her eyes.

 

There’s a slight knock on the door and a young man with bright, sun light hair and deep green eyes pokes his head into the room. He has yellow and pink roses in a crystal vase and a stuffed elephant in his hands.

 

“Grandma?”

 

“Who called you?”

 

“Probably my friends.” Murdock replied then he was across the room in a second introducing himself and making excuses to leave. The young man, Benny, just blinked at the whirlwind that is Murdock as he’s left alone with his grandmother.

 

* * *

 

Face waited for Murdock in the main lobby of the hospital. His partner hugged him close. They walked out and to the car.

 

“So, is she okay?” Face asked. He got into the drivers seat while Murdock took the other.

 

“Yeah, her back isn’t broken but she’s gonna stay in the hospital for a while, ya know how old people are.” He teases.

 

“Ha, ha. Try breaking your hip next time.” Face mutters.

 

“Anyway, where’s B.A.?”

 

“At the garage, one of his regular customers came in and he had to jet. Anyway, I’ve made a list of things we need to get for Mrs. Mantis’ house. I may not like her, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t help her out.” Face explained.

 

“I think she’s lonely but just won’t admit it.” Murdock replied.

 

“What’d you tell her?” Face’s tone is practically accusing.

 

“Nothing…” Murdock says as innocently as he can but Face can tell when he’s a lying liar who lies.

 

“Murdock?” and he has to break out the army voice.

 

“Okay, okay, I told her the truth.” Murdock replied, heightening his voice a little.

 

“What?” Face squeaks back.

 

“Well, we do help people right? So we’re gonna help her out, right?”

 

“Well. Yeah…” Face agrees though he definitely wishes Murdock wouldn’t tell people – even neighbors – what they used to do.

 

“So then what’s the problem?” Murdock asked.

 

Face could list at least five, but decides against it. “Let’s just go to the hardware store before they close,” he huffs.

 

Murdock smiled. “You really are a good guy, Faceman.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…”

 

TBC


End file.
